The name of this 13th century Byzantinian church is Ayasofya. This church is located in Trabzon which is famous for there beatiful churches and princesses. Sea port of Trabzon was known as Trebizond. Between 1204 and 1461 the city was the capital of an empire whose fame far outstripped its size. The Ayasofya church, is now used a museum, was built under the reign of Manuel Comnenos I, one of the kings of Trabzon (1238-1263). Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror in 1461, transformed the church into a mosque. The mosque was in a state of ruin, and then was restored in 1864 because of insistent attempts by Riza Efendi of Bursa . It was used as a hospital respectively during the First World War but was redesigned as a mosque again after the war. It was reopened as a museum in 1964 after the joint restoration project carried out by the Directorate of Foundations and Edinburgh University between 1958 and 1962.
This building is a great example of late Byzantine architecture. It has a cruciform plan with a high central dome. It has a vestibule called a narthex, and three aisles. The central aisle has a pentagonal abscissa and the adjacent aisles end with semi-circular abscissas. The building has three porches on the north, west and south sides. The floor below the main dome is covered with mosaic in opus-sectile technique made marbles of different colours. The frescoes, most of which depicting scenes
from the Bible, are an important part of the decoration of the church.
Trabzon 13th century Church
The name of this 13th century Byzantinian church is Ayasofya. This church is located in Trabzon which is famous for there beatiful churches and princesses. Sea port of Trabzon was known as Trebizond. Between 1204 and 1461 the city was the capital of an empire whose fame far outstripped its size. The Ayasofya church, is now used a museum, was built under the reign of Manuel Comnenos I, one of the kings of Trabzon (1238-1263). Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror in 1461, transformed the church into a mosque. The mosque was in a state of ruin, and then was restored in 1864 because of insistent attempts by Riza Efendi of Bursa . It was used as a hospital respectively during the First World War but was redesigned as a mosque again after the war. It was reopened as a museum in 1964 after the joint restoration project carried out by the Directorate of Foundations and Edinburgh University between 1958 and 1962.
This building is a great example of late Byzantine architecture. It has a cruciform plan with a high central dome. It has a vestibule called a narthex, and three aisles. The central aisle has a pentagonal abscissa and the adjacent aisles end with semi-circular abscissas. The building has three porches on the north, west and south sides. The floor below the main dome is covered with mosaic in opus-sectile technique made marbles of different colours. The frescoes, most of which depicting scenes
from the Bible, are an important part of the decoration of the church.